Tribunal fees were introduced in July 2013, and can run up to £1,200 per case. The most common reasons for employment tribunal cases include unfair dismissal, holiday pay, and sex discrimination.

Official statistics show that the number of cases taken by workers has dropped by nearly 70% since the fees were introduced. TUC research shows that this fall was especially high in cases involving part-time work rules (-83%), sexual orientation discrimination (-75%), and unauthorised deductions from wages (-78%).

While trade unions often pay the fees for their members, the figures indicate that many workers simply cannot afford to take a case.

The TUC compared official figures from before and after the introduction of fees to see which types of claims had seen the greatest decrease: